


The World Burns But The Fire Is Out

by teakturn



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Original Character Death(s), Post-Battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 12:46:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19318474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teakturn/pseuds/teakturn
Summary: Erik and Sasha battle one last time.





	The World Burns But The Fire Is Out

“I would rather die than live in the kind of world you want to create.”

“Why do you think I’ve been trying so hard to kill you?”

Sasha huffed out a laugh. Her shoulder ached, her face had gone numb with adrenaline, and still Erik could make her laugh.

His dark eyes traveled up her bruised form. They’d fought before but that had been play fighting compared to this. At one time Sasha would have said they were evenly matched. She spits blood out of her aching mouth. Now there was no doubt in her mind that he’d kill her here.

“Erik, there’s still time. You can stop this.”

Erik looked past her to the horizon. The setting sun had set the sky ablaze in shades of gold, red, pink and purple. It's vibrancy made surreal with the heat from the flames surrounding them? Sasha couldn't breathe properly, whether that was from her likely cracked ribs or the fire soaking up all the oxygen, she couldn’t say.

“Erik,” Sasha called to him one last time.

Their eyes met, and it was like he knew what she was asking, or maybe he assumed. They’d always been in sync that way.

“Don’t…” there was no sound, but she could read his lips.

Smirking through the pain, Sasha raised herself to her knees. Her body and the layer of injuries she’d incurred during the battle protested with a searing pain that nearly made her black out then and there. She ignored it, the pain wouldn’t be there for much longer now.

“We both know I will never stop trying to stop you. I will defy you until my last breath.” Sasha tried a full-on smile causing her busted lip to bleed, “I’m hardheaded that way.”

Erik’s face was carefully blank. His hands flexed on the weapon he still gripped tightly as if he expected the battle to continue. Erik was just as hardheaded as she was. They were both fighters, both raised to never give up. Through their training, they’d been taught to fight until they won or die if they lost. Regardless of whether or not Erik decided to kill her right now Sasha’s life was already forfeit. She couldn’t defeat him. And if she was going to have anyone take her out it had to be the man she’d been in love with since she was thirteen years old.

When he still hesitated Sasha grabbed his spear and placed the point against her chest. Before he could stop her, before she could think about how fucking painful piercing her own chest would feel, Sasha used her body weight to force herself onto the spear. She screamed, but the sound was drowned out by the pain, the all-encompassing pain spreading like fire through her.

“No!” Erik yanked the spear out of her grasp and tossed it to the side. Weakly he dropped to his knees at her side. Gathering her up in his arms, Erik held Sasha close as the last of her fight, last of her light, left her.

The shell of a man was left with nothing but the body of the woman he loved and a hollow heart. He stared out at the last of the setting sun, the last of the fire he’d started in his quest to burn this country to the ground. He stared at the woman he loved, and he ached. He ached because of all that he’d lost and he ached for all that would never be.

“You would have been queen,” Erik ground out. Tears fell onto his cheeks but he couldn’t comprehend that they were his. His mind had ground to a halt at the sight of Sasha impaled on that spear.

His world had ended. What did it matter to conquer, when he’d lost the one person that made it all worth it?


End file.
